KIRKUS REVIEW

In Bonn. . .even the flies are official." Bonn, the seat of displaced power, German democracy emasculated, an invalid carefully tended by the West and never-so-much so as in this projection that has tapped the genuine restlessness and riots of today. It is about ten days in a "recent future" before West Germany must make a stand on the Common Market; anti-this alliance is one Karfeld, who has reached the reactionaries and is riding on a crest of student popularity, an enthusiasm that runs to lethal demonstrations. Karfeld represents a threat not only to the future of the Market but also to the delicate German-British relationship. And the British Embassy itself has a defector who has vanished with enough secrets to insure a devastating split. The question here is why? And as Leo Harting is traced, the personality of the man becomes a subtle, fascinating puzzle. An archivist, a well-liked man with an astonishing memory and even more surprising ingenuity, he is defended by his colleagues even now. A man with a fatal curiosity and a man obsessed... What did Karfeld "owe" this rather obscure individual. Certainly a surprise ending in the Le Carre tradition. And a fused portrait of the men behind the busy-work, men with their own strange madness -- "The files get hold of you; and you can't help it . They'd rule your life if you ever let them." Classify this one Top Secret-A.

Be the first to discover new talent!
Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert.
Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts.